Our Night After Surgery

As Haley's Adoption Coordinator said below, Haley had surgery yesterday on her wound. Sometimes I think the surgery is harder on the Owner of the dog then on the dog! I got Haley home last night around 5:30 and she was down and out from being knocked out for surgery. I put some water out for her and that girl drank 3 bowls of water...she sure was thirsty! She then got some food in her tummy and then it was time to nap. I don't blame her, she had had a long day as did I worrying about her. As you can see in the picture here, Haley and I passed out on the floor together.

It's funny, I bought my place a year ago and I'm so happy I upgraded my carpet pad to the comfy stuff. I NEVER thought I would be sleeping on the floor in my own place but last night it happened and Haley and I were both comfortable.

Today she is more like herself, eating and drinking and getting a few walks in. She is still on some pain medicine so she is sleepy but before long she will be brand new!

I'll post some more updates this week.

Haley's Recovers From Her Surgery

Haley had surgery to close up the big wound under eye yesterday. After examining her, the vet discovered that the wound was not from another animal or something she ran into, etc. No, not at all. What he discovered was that Haley had an abscessed tooth that was so badly infected that it had "eaten" through to her face. Poor girl - she must have been in so much pain and it would have been understandable if this had made her cranky. But no - despite this, Haley is the sweetest dog.

Now her painful tooth has been removed, her wound has been stitched up (with a drain for a few days) and she is on antibiotics. She got home from the vet last night, groggy but this morning she was feeling better, eating well and in no time at all, should be feeling SO MUCH better.

We are hoping that Haley is ready to show her new beautiful face at the adoption event this Saturday, April 4th, 12-2pm at ProFeed Vienna (234 Maple Ave. E.
Vienna , VA (703) 242-7387). If you'd like to meet Haley, drop us a line!

First weekend with Haley

Hello!

I'm Alexis, Haley's foster Mom. Haley has come such a long way in just this past weekend. She is house broken (someone must have owned her before) which is great. She just wags her tail at the top of my steps and its my sign to take her out.

She has also started to come around with people. All day yesterday she wanted to lay right up next to me so I could pet her which is a good sign as before she was fine laying by herself. Just this morning I was petting her and I looked at her face and she had fallen asleep with her head still up! Too cute!

She is a good eater as well and is happy to sit for a treat. Who wouldn't want to sit for a yummy liver treat:-)

Although she is 8 years old she still has some pep in her. On walks she gets into this jog, it's pretty funny to watch. Last night she hopped up on a retaining wall that was 4 feet high so she definitely has some "young pup" still in her. I am still working with her on a leash as it is not her favorite thing right now. She has been so used to "running" on her own that it has been an adjustment to have to be on a leash that someone else is controlling. Slowly but surely I am working with her.

Today is a big day for Haley at the vets; she is getting her wound on her face patched up. Once this heals she will be a brand new dog!

All in all Haley is doing better than any of us could have imagined! She is a sweetie and just wants to love someone and be loved back.

Check back tomorrow and I will let you know how she did today at the vets.

Meet Haley the Retriever/Chow - Haley Needs A Home and Your Help

Things are looking up for Haley. A day ago, she was on the short list to be put to sleep at a shelter in rural VA. But Homeward Trails Animal Rescue was able to rescue her and today, caught a ride from the shelter (THANKS JENNIE!) to a great foster home in Northern Virginia (THANKS ALEXIS!).

Alexis and I only just met Haley today. But if first impressions are at all reliable, she is quite the sweet gal! Haley is a retriever/chow mix with a beautiful thick black/brown coat. She has soft doe-like eyes that pull you right in. She is a great size at about 50 lbs and she is about 8 yrs young. If she was a human, we would take Haley for a yogi - she has a calm, friendly, easy going personality. She has a tail wag for everyone she meets and two or three for friends with treats!

Please note that Haley is deaf but she is so easy going that she doesn't seem at all startled by people approaching her from behind. And Haley seems like a smart, quick learner. She gets along with other dogs and really enjoys meeting new people, she seems especially fond of men.

Here's what we know about Haley's history: the shelter's animal control officer picked up as a stray. Tho at some point in her life, she must have been someone's beloved dog - someone had her spayed, taught her how to walk on a leash and (probably) housetrained her. But she clearly had some tough times recently. When animal control picked her up, she had a large open wound under her eye and she was/is thin and very dirty.

Today Haley got her first bath. Wow! was she dirty. Bet she feels better now.

Monday Haley will go to the vet to get her wound stitched up. It's got to be uncomfortable, if not painful.

Who won't want to help this great dog? here's how you can help:

please consider making a donation to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in her name to help cover the surgery to close the wound on her face. \

please forward Haley's blog and her Petfinder profile to your friends.

if you can post a flyer about Haley in the metro DC/Baltimore area, please contact me and I'll be happy to email one to you.